Journal lubricator



Feb. 28, 1950 J. J. HENNESSY JOURNAL LUBRICATOR Filed 001;. 8, 1947 S INVENTORI JAMES J. HENNESSY BY ATTORNEY.

FIG. 2.

Patented Feb. 28, 195) I UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE JOURNAL 'LUBRICATOR James J. Hennessy, Montclair, N. J. v Application October 8, 1947, Serial No. I778,651

5 Claims. (01. 308-83) The invention relates to means for recovering excessive lubricating oil supplied to journals, and particularly railway locomotive driving journals from which lubricant would otherwise escape endwise of the journal andbe thrown centrifugally from the journal outside the journal box and be lost. The invention is directed to a journal wiper device at the outer end of the lubricator generally of the kind described in Patents Nos;

2,191,468 and 2,327,040 tothe present inventor.

One object of the present invention is to'pro-.

vide efiicient means of recapturing oil escaping to the outer ends of the bearings of railway vehicle lubricated journals.

Anotherobject is to provide an oil wiper for a railway vehicle journal which readily'adjusts itself to the contour of the journal and after such adjustment resists further wear.

Another object is to provide an oil wiper for a railway vehicle journal which may be replaced easily when worn or damaged.

These and other objects are attained by the structure illustrated in the accompanying drawsection taken approximately on line 33 of Figure l.

The invention is shown applied to a locomotive driving box having the usual side walls I for engagement with the underframe pedestal (not shown) and receiving the crown bearing brass 2 having its outer end undercut as at 3 and rotatably mounting a journal 4. A mechanical lubricator is applied to the box and includes a tank like body or cellar having a bottom wall 5, end

walls 6, l and side walls 8, 9. The upper edges of these walls extend into downwardly facing recesses ID in the driving box to avoid the loss of oil. A reservoir Illa projects inwardly from the cellar proper. A pump structure indicated generally at P (actuated by the play of the journal transversely of the box) and a distributor structure indicated generally at D feed lubricant from the cellar and its reservoir Illa to the lower face of journal 4, by which it is carried around to the bearing 2. All of the above-described structure is well known in the art and in itself does not constitute the present invention.

A journal wiper at the outer end of the lubricator engages the underside of the journal and overlies cellar end wall 6 and extends outwardly and inwardly therefrom. The wiper comprises a pair of quadrant shaped members ll, l2 with their inner ends hooked to each other as indicated at l3. Each member II, I2 has a depending lug l4 pinned to a depending support I5,

diagonal upstanding ribs l8 sloping downwardly and inwardly of the journal and adapted to initially engage the journal and to wear quickly to the contour of the journal. Pads IQ of larger area and of less height than ribs iii are p'osi-' tioned between the ribs and are adapted to engage the journal after the ribs have worn to the journal contour and fully engage the journal. Each pad l9 has a disc 20 of wear resisting material embedded in it to engage the journal face and reduce further wear of the members. The discs are made of hardwood, plastic, fiber or other wear resisting material. Between ribs I8 and pads l9 are inwardly and downwardly sloping depressions 2| to carry excess lubricant away from the end of the bearing and return it to the lubricant cellar. Circumferential ribs 22 extend transversely to ribs I8 near the outer edge of members I I, I2 and prevent flow of oil outwardly of the journal which movement would be most likely to occur along the ribs on the rising side of the journal. Transverse ribs 22 are substantially the same height as diagonal ribs I 8 and are adapted to wear 'quickly to the journal contour.

The oil supplied to the journal by the pump is carried upwardly by the rising side of the rotating journal between the journal and the bearing to lubricate the same. Surplus oil between the journal and the bearing tends to travel longitudinally of the latter to the ends of the bearing. The oil reaching the undercut end 3 of the bearing brass 2 tends to adhere to the rotating journal. Most of this oil is wiped from the journal by the inner portions of ribs l8 but before the oil on the journal reaches the wiper ribs, sufiicient oil will have moved along the journal to lubricate its end portion. The oil removed from the rotating journal fiows into depressions 2i and back to the lubricant cellar. The features de scribed are efiective for recapturing the oil escaping to the outer ends of the bearings and for returning the recaptured oil to the lubricant cellar where it may be pumped again to the journal surface.

A journal wiper of the kind described will wear q ly o fit a journal whichihasbeen worn or machinedto-a diameter less than its original "diameter. Ordinarily, driving journals eleven inches in diameter, when new, are kept in service until they have been reduced by wear :andunachining to approximately ten and one-half inches.

Wear pads l9, upon engaging thejournaLreduce the rate of wear of the wiper [members because of the inclusion therein of Wear resisting material and because of the increased-area in engagement with the journal which provides larger lubricated ,areas between the wiper and journals. Wear is further reduced because the shape-of'the padsJ-flpermitsthe accumulation of a greater amount ,oiloil between the padsandthe journal to lubricate the .same. Such increased lubrication would not be possible merely-by increasing -the area of the wiping ribs if they were not anaintained .in spaced relation to effect the journal scraping action.

The :details of construction may be varied substantially according to the invention, .and the exclusive useof those modifications coming within the scope of the claims iscontemplated.

What is claimed is:

7:1. .-In. combination, a journal, -a,;journal wiper, and means to urge said wiper into engagement with said journal, said wiper having spaced :diagonalribs adapted for initial wear ttothe contour ofv said journal, wear resisting pads positioned between-hut spaced from .said ribs and adapted to engage said journal after said rigs have worn to {the journal contour, and ,grooves between said ,=ribs,:and said wear pads to lead isurplusaoil away irom the outer .end of said-journal.

.2. .In combination, a journal, .a journal box havin a cellarand rotatabl mountingsaid journal, .means ,ior lubricating said journal, and a journal wiper comprising an :arcuate member having spaced diagonal ribs to initially engage said journal and to wear quickly to the contour of said journal, wear resisting pads positioned between but spaced from said spaced ribs and engaging said journal after said ribs have Worn to the journal contour, there being depressions between said ribs and said pads to lead surplus oil away from the outer end of said journal, and means for yieldingly maintaining said journal wiper .in "engagement with said journal.

3. A journalwiper comprising'an arcua'te member having spaced diagonal ribs adapted to initially engage a journal and to wear quickly to athejournal contour, a pad of wear resisting material positioned between and spaced from said ribs and ad'apt'e'd to engage said journal after said ribs have worn :to the journal contour, and a groove'between one of said ribs and said pad to leadzsurplus oil away from one side of the member and discharge it to the other side of the member.

4. ..A journal wiper comprising an arcuate member havingspaced diagonal ribs adapted initially toengage a journal and to wear quickly to the journal contour, and pads :of less height than said'ribs and spaced therefrom and adapted to engage said journal after the ribs'have worn to the journal contour, said pads being provided with inserts of fibrous wear resisting material to enage the journal face and reduce further wear of said pads and said ribs.

5. .A journal wiper of the kind described in claim 3 having a rib extending substantially transversely to and being of substantially the same height as said diagonal ribs and beingpositioned adjacent thesides'ofithe'wiper from which the grooveleads and adapted-to engage the journal-to prevent flow of surplus-oil towards the adjacent side of the wiper.

JAS. J. HEN'NESSY.

Name "Date Hennessy Aug. 1'7, 1943 Number 

